


Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave

by DandelionCares



Category: Titanic (1997), Trolls (2016)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Love, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25953262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DandelionCares/pseuds/DandelionCares
Summary: Crossover of Trolls with the 1997 film Titanic. Oneshot.Poppy is a princess of the upper trolls class. She has boarded Titanic with her stifling fiance, Creek, but has been feeling increasingly trapped with her society's expectations of her. On board the Titanic, she crosses paths with Branch, a humble poet from the lower third class and he opens her eyes to the possibilities beyond the life of lace and frills. Creek has caught onto the pair's growing affections for each other and is ready to come out on top at any cost.This scene takes place after the ship has hit the iceberg. Passengers are frantically starting to fill up the small number of available lifeboats. Branch and Poppy have made it to the deck amongst the chaos to assess the situation, and, unbeknownst to Poppy... to get her on a lifeboat before it's too late.
Relationships: Branch & Queen Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31
Collections: Best Broppy





	Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you want to see how the scene visually plays out, I suggest you check out this Youtube link... this will paint the picture for you and the emotional turmoil these two go through... *wails*
> 
> https://youtu.be/qDMUyrZPUsw
> 
> And yes, this oneshot plays pretty much beat for beat with the scene - but it's fun transcripting these things into emotional prose. Injected with a healthy dose of Broppy. Because everything is better with a Broppy crossover ;)

Poppy and Branch looked around them. The situation was growing frantic – trolls were running around in all directions; crying, helpless, unsure – though the general movement of the crowd was pushing towards the edge of the ship where the life rafts were waiting. Branch assessed the situation on deck and couldn’t help but curse his people. Damn pop trolls. Never EVER prepared for an emergency. Flimsy safety measures in place at best. He had wished he had had a say when the ship was being built all those months ago. Had he been able to be involved, there would be enough life rafts for every troll, and then some. But what good was that now. He knew, glancing quickly up and down the deck… nearly half the trolls on board would have to stay behind. The thought made his stomach lurch. He grasped Poppy’s hand tightly, the last thing he needed was to lose her in the crowd. They could see trolls were being loaded into the life rafts at a rather alarming rate. Branch knew he had to get Poppy onto one of those rafts – and fast.

As if Poppy could read his mind, she swung around to face Branch.

“I’m not going without you,” she said firmly, looking him dead in the eye. Branch was momentarily taken aback, but was quick to shake his head.

“No, you have to go, now,” he said, a hint of urgency in his voice. He tried to inch her forward towards a nearby raft but she just pushed back.

“No, Branch.”  
“Get in the raft, Poppy,” he said quietly, his eyes quietly pleading.  
“No, Branch…” she repeated. Poppy felt her resolve start to waver as he stared at her with those damn piercing blue eyes. She didn’t want to have to defy him, but there was no way she was getting on that raft alone. Branch took a step forward, a bit more forcefully this time. He had to be strong about this. He was not going to let her risk her life for him. She needed to be safe. She needed to be ALIVE.

“Yes,” he said, inching her forward some more, trying to use his body to get her to move without physically pushing her. “Get on the raft.” Poppy gripped his vest, panic now starting to set in as the situation started to grow more real by the second. Branch’s heart squeezed in his chest looking at the fear in her eyes. He knew he should literally pick her up and toss her into the raft, but he couldn’t bring himself to take that last step. He knew how stubborn she was, so he really probably should. They were both standing at the edge of the deck now, a mere foot from the railing, but now at an impasse.

“Yes GET in the raft, Poppy,” a third voice suddenly came from behind them. Poppy and Branch spun around to the crowd and saw a familiar troll, looking a little worse for wear, push through to the front.

Creek. Branch tensed up at the sight of him and instinctively pulled Poppy towards him. Poppy was dumbfounded. It had been nearly 12 hours since she last saw her fiancé, Creek, and when they had parted ways he had just viciously slapped her across the face for mingling with the likes of the ‘lowly grey worm’.

Now Creek was standing there, eyeing the pair in front of him with a look of quiet displeasure. As much as he wanted to strangle the grey troll right then and there, his focus shifted when he saw the state in which Poppy was in – hair disheveled, out in the cold night air in nothing but her thin evening gown and a ratty blanket. His stern expression dissolved instantly.

“My god, love. Look at you, you look a fright!” He reached forward and yanked the blanket off her, shoving it roughly at Branch to get him out of the way momentarily. Creek then shook off his thick black coat and wrapped it around Poppy’s shoulders, grazing his hand over her cheek before Branch barged back in and moved her off to the side, purposely out of Creek’s grasp.

Branch stood Poppy in front of him, his big gentle hands on each of her shoulders so she was fully focused on him.

“Go on, I’ll get the next one,” he lied, trying his best to sound optimistic. He could see the uncertainty in Poppy’s eyes as they started to brim with tears.

“No!” she said frantically, a sob catching her breath. “Not without you!” Branch swallowed back the lump in his own throat.

“I’ll be alright,” Branch tried to assure her, rubbing her shoulders. “Listen, I’ll be fine. I’m a survivor, alright? Don’t worry about me. Now go on, get on.”

Creek watched their exchange, silently glowering. Then a sudden idea struck him. He could still win out in this situation. He stepped towards the now arguing couple, cutting in and catching Poppy’s attention.

“Poppy, I have an arrangement with an officer on the other side of the ship,” he explained. He smiled at Poppy reassuringly. “Branch and I can get off safely…” he shot Branch a look. “Both of us.”

Branch narrowed his eyes, not quite sure if Creek was in earnest or not with the offer. Either way, it sounded like it could work in getting Poppy to a raft. He pressed his lips together and nodded, appearing satisfied.

“See?” he turned back towards Poppy. “I got my own boat to catch.”

Poppy’s mind was now a blur after processing this new information. She needed to stay on the boat. But… now Branch could get off safely too? With Creek? Was he definitely going? Should Poppy wait and go with him? Yesterday Creek was ready to throw Branch overboard without a second thought. So why does he want to help him now? She started becoming a little uneasy overturning the arrangement in her head, before Creek broke her train of thought.

“Go on, love. Hurry, it’s nearly full.” He urged gently, and before she had time to protest, he had turned her around to face the nearest raft, snaking his hand onto her lower back as he inched her forward. Now Poppy started to panic, the crowd was moving forward in a way she couldn’t turn back, but Branch, in amongst it, was starting to stretch out of her reach. She twisted back to try and keep a hold of his hand but one more push forward from Creek and their fingers were suddenly separated. All too quickly an officer grabbed her hand and pulled her up and over into the raft, placing her down at the far side as more trolls began to fill the empty spaces at an alarming rate. Branch was well out of reach now, and Poppy could do nothing but look across at him helplessly. A sudden wash of nausea filled the pit in her stomach.

Before Poppy knew it, the raft was full. The boat officer standing at the bow of the life raft raised his hands and bellowed “LOWER AWAY! Left and right together!!!”  
With a shudder the raft jolted downward as it released from the holds, causing the trolls within it to shriek in shock. The raft then slowly adjusted to the strain of the ropes and started to lower past the deck towards the ocean below.

As the two male trolls stood at the rail, watching the raft dip further down the side of the ship, Creek chuckled quietly.

“You’re a good liar,” he said under his breath, loud enough for Branch to hear. Branch kept his gaze forward.

“Almost as good as you,” he muttered back, keeping his eyes fixed on Poppy. Processing Creek’s words he clenched his jaw, readying himself for a response he didn’t want to hear.

“There’s uh… there’s no arrangement, is there?” he asked, turning to Creek. Creek pursed his lips thoughtfully, keeping somewhat pokerfaced.

“Oh no, there is,” he assured him quietly, and for a brief moment Branch felt a glimmer of hope. Before Creek added, his voice dripping with venom, “not that you’ll benefit much from it.”

Branch’s blood instantly ran cold at the words. So that was it. It had been a trick. Creek had lied to get Poppy on that raft. And now Creek had a ticket out of there too. Branch’s heart sank into the depths of his stomach as he looked down to Poppy, who was lowering further and further away from him. He had to keep his eyes on her as long as he could now. Trying to imprint the last vision of her to tuck away in his heart forever. Her beautiful face, the freckles that sparkled under the moonlight, her cascading pink hair draping over her shoulders. Her soft magenta eyes which were filled with such pain as she kept her eyes locked on him. He swallowed back hard as he felt tears stinging behind his own eyes. _No, dammit._ He had to appear strong for her, he didn’t want her last memory of him to be that of weakness. He clutched the rail of the deck, trying to steady himself from spiraling into a pit of anxiety.

_Steady, Branch. Just keep your eyes on her, she’s your strength now._

Poppy meanwhile could feel her heart throbbing violently in her ears as she looked around her. It was all happening too fast, and yet everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

… Officers yelling orders from the raft and up on the deck.

… Trolls crying, clinging to each other, waving distraught to trolls left behind up on the higher deck.

… Emergency fireworks exploding above their heads, scattering across the night sky in a myriad of sparkling colours. If it had been any other situation it would have looked like one massive party on the boat.

Well, it had been. And now here she was, being lowered away from all of that mayhem. She was safe. She should be thankful. So why did she feel like throwing herself off the side of the raft to get away from it?

She looked back up, seeing Creek and Branch standing at the deck rail. She could see there was some exchange of words between the two male trolls. And then she saw a flicker of sadness wash across Branch’s face. Even from as far away as she was, she could see it. She swear she could almost feel his pain in her own heart. What had just transpired up there? Her chest ached as she looked up at him. Even with the crowd surging behind them, he suddenly looked so alone.

Branch.

Another flare exploded in the sky behind him, illuminating him like he was some sort of other worldly being. She could see unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

It was then she decided. She couldn’t leave him. She couldn’t. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. This wasn’t right. It was so far from right. She may be safe but she felt half of her was being torn away the further the boat lowered towards the ocean below.

She glanced directly in front of her and noticed the raft at that moment was passing the lower deck of the ship.

She could make that. And if she couldn’t, dammit she was going to try.

Before she realized what she was doing, her body was up and blindly clambering past the trolls in the raft, before literally flinging herself over the edge, landing somewhat clumsily across the rail of the lower deck. Trolls gasped from all directions. Branch saw and nearly threw himself over the edge to stop her.

“Poppy! Poppy what are you doing??” he shrieked, desperately leaning over the rail in a futile attempt to try and reach her.

Creek was aghast. “Stop her!” he yelled to the people below. But all Creek or Branch could do was watch. Thankfully, they saw she was helped over the rail by a couple of other trolls on the deck, but the life raft was now lowered well out of reach that she couldn’t be handed back over. It didn’t matter. Poppy had disappeared from view.

Branch was still desperately clinging to the side of the ship to see what she was doing.

“No!” he shouted uselessly. Then he realized she had gone, and in a split second he spun around and was shoving his way back through the crowd. He had to find her. He had no idea where he was running, but his heart was pulling him in a particular direction which he decided to act upon. He hoped Poppy was feeling the same.

Poppy meanwhile was making an instinctive beeline for the grand staircase inside. She pushed past troll after troll, glancing around everywhere for any sight of him. She was panting, desperate, overwhelming tears spilling from her eyes. She hoped she could find him. It was a very big ship, and still hundreds of trolls everywhere. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she advanced inside, feeling a strange pull as she got closer to the ballroom.

Branch had arrived at the top of the stairwell, gasping, frantically looking around. His heart was nearly exploding in his chest as he flew down the stairs. As he approached the bottom, he saw her. And she saw him.

Neither of them slowed down as they came crashing into each other’s arms at the foot of the staircase. Branch lifted Poppy up and wrapped her completely around him as they clutched at each other in a flurry of relieved sobs and kisses. Poppy could not pull him any closer if she tried. Tears were streaming down both their faces.

“You’re so stupid, Poppy!” Branch scolded as he smashed his lips into hers. “Why’d you do that!?” He kissed her feverishly several times before pulling her face back between his hands. “You’re so stupid, Poppy!” More kisses, he couldn’t stop. She half sobbed and laughed as she returned his affections, gripping him as close as she could. Branch planted several more angry kisses across her face before shakily scolding again, ”why’d you do that, WHY??”

Another sob caught in Poppy’s throat as she reached out and gently stroked his face. Hair, he was so beautiful. She thought she would never see him again. Never get to touch him again. She was so relieved she couldn’t help but let out a little teary giggle at his reaction.

“You can’t harmonise alone, right?” she said, her eyes meeting his and she smiled at him. Branch gazed at her in confused amazement. She’d just thrown away her chance at getting out of this alive. It was utter madness. But dammit. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He choked back a small sob of his own.

“…Right,” he managed to squeak, his voice trembling. They both smiled warmly at each other before pulling each other in for an all-consuming hug, before returning to passionately kissing each other’s lips, cheeks, ears… everywhere. They had come so close to losing each other, the thought now pushed aside as they both internally vowed to never EVER let go of each other again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a oneshot for now, but I love this crossover so I may write a few more of the pivotal emotionally fuelled scenes. Stay tuned!
> 
> Artwork for this will also be following on my Instagram in due course (www.instagram.com/thebroppytrain). YOSH!


End file.
